Production must stay in the UK, even if in foreign hands

Broadchurch: there is no business case for keeping such programmes British unless the regulator steps in, Ed Vaizey saysPatrick Redmond/ITV/PA

France once famously blocked the foreign takeover of a yoghurt company, while Britain cheerfully lets strategic assets such as ports and utilities be bought up.

Last year a slew of production companies, including the makers of Broadchurch, One Born Every Minute, and Call The Midwife, fell into foreign hands. Technology companies, meanwhile, increasingly look to the US for funds.

So what does Ed Vaizey think of the influx of foreign investment? “Generally speaking it’s appropriate for politicians to keep their hands off business issues like that,” he says. “We have a pretty robust system through regulators like Ofcom, which can assess the appropriate nature of any kind of investment or takeover. I haven’t yet heard the siren calls to protect the creative industries.”